bioPREP (Biology Partnership for Research and Education Program) is designed as a partnership between SUNY-Stony Brook, the major undergraduate and biomedical research institution on Long Island, and Nassau and Suffolk country Community Colleges, the two largest community colleges in New York State. The goal of this cooperative venture is to increase the number of underrepresented students obtaining undergraduate degrees in the sciences and subsequently undertaking careers or graduate education in the biomedical sciences. The goals of this program are: 1) to identify underrepresented students at the two year institutions interested in the biomedical sciences; 2) to motivate these students to seek careers in the biomedical sciences; 3) to help them gain confidence by exposure to research scientists and laboratory technique; 4) to create a supportive environment, through mentoring, counseling, and group activities; 5) to promote awareness of opportunities in the biomedical sciences; and 6) to provide a model for partnerships between two-year institutions and research universities. The program will recruit up to twenty four eligible minority students into the program each year and will 1) provide these students with the techniques and skills to understand and use the basic tools of molecular biology; 2) provide students with research projects; 3) provide students with up-to-date knowledge from current researchers; 4) provide students with tutoring from more advanced students; 6) educate students about Stony Brook and ease the transition through regulate visits; 7) provide financial support for BioPREP students who transfer to Stony Brook; 8) assist students who have completed the summer program in obtaining additional summer experiences; and 9) assist BioPREP students in applying to graduate school or obtaining employment.